Like Counter-Strike from a top-down perspective, Frozen Synapse is all about tactical positioning, well-thought-out plans, map knowledge and a tad too much camping. To mix that up, along with its numerous other changes, the sequel is adding a whole armoury worth of additional armaments. They’re shown off above, along with the markedly improved impact of weapons and the predictably excellent soundtrack.
How will it fair in the gauntlet of upcoming PC games?
Mode 7 also specifically defined these three weapons:
- Flamethrower: the short red beam you saw. Especially effective in confined spaces.
- Smoke Grenade: provides cover and blocks vision. Makes it even more like CS.
- Mine Layer: leaves proximity grenades that take a short moment to prime, then explode to kill in an AOE when triggered.
They also point out that the trailer has the debut of their new multiplayer mode, One Turn. This is designed to shorten Synapse’s tactical decision making and outplaying to a single engagement. While this makes matches super short, it also allows for a global competition of sorts, where you can play your turn against anyone that has taken the opposite side. “This is cool, trust us” claim Mode 7.
All those additions, as well as ongoing work, has delayed the game into 2017. No more specific date was given in the announcement, but sooner rather than later would be a reasonable assumption. Much more on the game over on Steam.